Luke Plunkett

Ron Nakada, a senior software engineer at Blizzard who has worked on World of Warcraft, got married earlier this year. He's also been diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.

Thanks to the wonders of the American medical and insurance system, Ron's short-term disability insurance, which had been covering his treatment costs, has recently run out. He has long-term disability insurance cover, but for some reason it won't kick in for a while, and even when it does is of less assistance than the short-term cover.

To help Ron and his family through this tough time, Ron's friend - InXile's John Alvarado - is running a campaign aiming to raise $25,000 by the middle of January, an amount that will ensure "[Ron's] family can enjoy this Christmas without the stress of overdue bills and the threat of utilities shutting off."